Play Book Tag discussion

Goal: Read for locations I've never personally visited
Starting Point: Phoenix, AZ

Running Totals (as of 8/30/25)
46 Points
2 Free Tickets

Spin #1 - West

Starting location: Phoenix, AZ
Destination: Mumbai India
Straight line distance: 8,811 miles

The Siege: 68 Hours Inside The Taj Hotel by Adrian Levy, Cathy Scott-Clark

Review

Location from book blurb: "Mumbai, 2008. On the night of November 26, Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists attacked targets throughout the city, including the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, one of the world’s most exclusive luxury hotels."

Tagged "India" by 48 people
1 + 2 = 3 points

Running Totals:
3 Points
Free Tickets: 3

Spin #2 - South East

Starting Location: Mumbai, India
Destination: Singapore
Straight line distance: 2,425 miles

Crazy Rich Asians

Review

Tagged "Singapore" by 273 people
1 + 2 = 3 Points

Running Totals:
6 Points
Free Tickets: 3

Spin #3 - South

Starting Location: Singapore
Destination: Jakarta, Indonesia
Straight line distance: 428 miles

A Brief History of Indonesia: Sultans, Spices, and Tsunamis: The Incredible Story of Southeast Asia's Largest Nation

Review

Tagged "Indonesia" by 45 people
1 + 2 = 3 points

Running Totals
9 points
Free Tickets: 3

Spin #4 - East

Starting Location: Jakarta Indonesia
Destination: Indonesian Paupau New Guinea
Straight line distance: 2282 miles

Lost in Shangri-la: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II

Review

Tagged "New Guinea" by 25 people
1 + 2 = 3 points

Earned a free pass:
- Armed Forces Day is May 17th - This book tells of a military plane crash and the military rescue of the survivors

Running Totals:
12 Points
Free Tickets: 4

Spin #5 - North East North West
Using a Free Ticket to change my direction to North West

Starting Loction: Paupau New Guinea
Destination: Tehran, Iran
Straight Line Distance: 6737 miles

The Lion Women of Tehran

Review

Tagged "Tehran" by 5 people
Tagged "Strong Women" by 7 people
1 + 2 + 3 = 6 points

Used a Free Ticket

Earned a Free Ticket: May 15th is Persian language day in Iran. Persian is the primary language in Iran, formerly known as Persia.

Running Totals:
18 points
4 Free Tickets

Spin #6 North East using a free ticket to go South West instead

Starting Location: Tehran, Iran
Destination: Maiduguri, Nigeria
Straight Line Distance: 2896 miles

Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree

Review

The location is a fictional village in Northern Nigeria. They named Maiduguri a number times as the largest local city, so I'm using that as my location:

Quotes:
"My husband promised to take me to visit Maiduguri"
"With its bustling tree-lined streets, buses and bookstores, Maiduguri seemed like a big city to the girls from the village."

Tagged Nigeria 35 times.
Does not match the monthly tag

1 + 2 = 3 Points

Used a Free Ticket

Earned a Free Ticket: May 5th is African World Heritage Day


Running Totals:
21 Points
4 Free Tickets

Spin #7 Northwest Used a free ticket to travel Southeast

Starting Location: Maiduguri, Nigeria
Destination: Nairobi, Kenya
Straight Line Distance: 1861 miles

West with the Night

Review

Tagged Kenya by 71 people.
Does not match the monthly tag.

1 + 2 = 3 points

Used a Free Ticket

Running Totals
24 Points
3 Free Tickets

Spin #8 West

Starting Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Destination: Bora Bora
Straight Line Distance: 11,076 miles

Bridesmaid for Hire - 2 stars

Review

Location noted in the book description:
After years of working her tail off at her event-planning business, Maggie Mitchell is ready for a vacation. With nothing on her mind but R & R, she’s enjoying the warm weather of Bora Bora when in saunters Brody McFadden, her brother’s best friend and also her sworn enemy.

Tagged Summer by 31 people

1 + 3 = 4 points

Earned a free ticket for:
Summer Tag - 31 people
Wedding Tag - 13 people

Running Totals
27 Points
4 Free Tickets

Spin #9 South Used a free ticket to travel North-East instead

Starting Location: Bora Bora
Destination: Lagos, Nigeria
Straight Line Distance: 10,618 miles

What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky
Review

1 + 2 + 3 = 6 points

Tagged Nigeria by 87 people
Tagged Speculative Fiction by 25 people

Running Totals
33 Points
3 Free Tickets

Spin #10 North West

Starting Location: Lagos, Nigeria
Destination: Montreal Quebec
Straight Line Distance: 5,270 miles

Daydreams of Angels
Review

Tagged Montreal by 6 people
1 + 3 = 4 points

Running Totals
37 Points
3 Free Tickets

Spin #11 North I used a Free Ticket to travel South instead

Starting Location: Montreal Quebec
Destination: Patterson New Jersey
Straight Line Distance: 355 Miles

Open and Shut
Review

Free ticket earned with a dog on the cover and tagged "Dog" 58 times.


I should also note that with this book I'm officially abandoning my personal challenge to only read books set in places where I've never visited personally. I've not only visited New Jersey, but lived there for 18 months back in the 1990s.

Tagged New Jersey by 15 people.
1 + 2 = 3 points

Running Totals
40 Points
3 Free Tickets

Spin #12 North used a free ticket to travel South

Starting Location: Patterson New Jersey
Destination: Montego Bay, Jamaica
Straight Line Distance: 1530 miles

How to Say Babylon
Review

Tagged Jamaica by 88 people
1 + 2 = 3 points

Running Totals
43 Points
2 Free Tickets

Spin #13 Southeast

Starting Location: Montego Bay, Jamaica
Destination: Port of Spain, Trinidad
Straight Line Distance: 1,221 miles

Miguel Street

Review

Tagged Trinidad by 25 people
1 + 2 = 3 points

Running Totals
46 Points
2 Free Tickets

Spin #14 North West

Starting Location: Port of Spain Trinidad
Destination: Port au Prince Haiti
Straight Line Distance: